Friday, February 24, 2017

Florida: A judge ordered Dolores Saverese to stay away from animals. She ignored him and is now back in jail

FLORIDA -- The Boca Raton woman arrested last year on more than a dozen animal cruelty charges is headed back to jail, a judge ordered Thursday, after police found at least one German shepherd in her home.

Dolores Saverese, 56, was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on bond in late October. One of the terms of her release was that she not own any animals.

However, on Feb. 5, a neighbor saw dogs being dropped off at the woman’s Boca Raton home, court records state. Saverese told Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control officials she bought the dogs — it is unclear how many — from a longtime friend, although documents showed she paid $700 to Lake Effect Snow White German Shepherds for the dogs.

Saverese agreed to surrender the dogs to Animal Care and Control, records state.

Officials took 16 Cocker Spaniels from the woman’s home in late August. Nine made it out alive. Seven didn’t.

The bodies of German shepherd and a Labrador retriever puppy were also found, wrapped in plastic, surrounded by filth, officials said.

Saverese told police the animals had been dead for years.

Saverese bought the dogs from a breeder in Missouri, according to the police report. Just days after the spaniels were taken from her home, Saverese called the breeder multiple times, asking about buying new puppies, the breeder told police. By Sept. 30 she had obtained two new dogs, according to Animal Care and Control’s Sgt. Dave Walesky.

City police have frequented Saverese’ home on West Camino Real, east of Interstate 95, in the last eight years, records show. In 2008, they removed 23 dogs who had no water or food. She spent a year on probation after being convicted of animal cruelty in that case, court records show.

Other times it was for animal-ordinance violations, such as failing to comply with the county’s sterilization and vaccination ordinances, according to court records.